About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

Yeah. Go Calvin. Here's something else from Silent Cal on a different tangent.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

237 years ago, a bunch of farmers and politicians got together and told King George III of England that he wasn't getting the job done, and that they were going to start a new organization (the USA) with a new set of bylaws (the Articles of Confederation, followed by the Constitution).

Overall, it has worked well. The USA has been the envy of the world.

Here's how the founders phrased their Dear John letter to Dear George, complete with a translation:

July 4th, 1776

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Dear George,
We've been together a long time, but we've got to break up. Our situtation has become intolerable. For the sake of our friends and families, we feel obligated to explain the reasons for our separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

We think it's obvious that we have the right to our lives, our freedom, and our right to pursue our own happiness. "I own me. You own you." We wanted to think that you were there to protect those basic rights, and we gave you that authority. You weren't born with that authority. We gave it to you, and we're taking it away.
George, we're just not happy. We're going to form a government that will let us be happy as a pig in shit. Happier than a tornado in a trailer park. Because you see, George, it's not about you and what you want.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

We've thought about this for a while. We've watched government grow from less than 1% of the economy to more than 42%, and we've seen your plans to take over even more areas, like healthcare. Thank God Almighty that Edward Snowden showed us what all you were.....
Wait a minute....
I switched tyrants in mid-rant.

Sorry about that. Back to the original document.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.

In short, George, we're going to form a new government - a government centered around us and not you. It will be based in the USA and not in London.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Just to remind you what we're talking about, here's the short list. It doesn't include unconstitutional boondoggles like Cash For Clunkers, The Stimulus Package, ObamaCare and taking over the auto industry. You're lucky that we're just leaving, and not arresting your criminal ass.

Oops. I did it again. Switched tyrants in mid-stream. The list comes from here.“The sequester is not something that I’ve proposed. It is something that Congress has proposed.”Politifact.com“We got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system”cbsnews.comBenghazi violence was caused by an internet video & demonstrationsState DepartmentBecause of Obamacare, “over the last two years, health care premiums have gone up — it’s true — but they’ve gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years.” politifact.com“I think it’s important for us to understand that the Fast and Furious program was a field-initiated program begun under the previous administration”abcnews.comRomney and Ryan will gut pell grants for low-income college students.Factcheck.orgMy budget will cut the deficit by $4 Trillion over 10 years.Factcheck.org“I am told that Governor Romney’s new running mate, Paul Ryan, might be around Iowa the next few days,” he said while in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “He is one of the leaders of Congress standing in the way. So if you happen to see Congressman Ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to Iowa and our rural communities.”House passed bill on August 2, 2012 (Paul Ryan voted yes) The American automobile industry has come roaring back…So now I want to say what we did with the auto industry, we can do it in manufacturing across America. Let’s make sure advanced, high-tech manufacturing jobs take root here, not in China. And that means supporting investment here. Governor Romney … invested in companies that were called ‘pioneers’ of outsourcing. I don’t want to outsource. I want to insource.Forbes- Outsourcer-In-Chief: Obama Of General Motors“You Didn’t Build that”A few examples

We began by passing a Recovery Act that has already saved or created over 150,000 jobs.” – caught cooking the books and now changed to ‘jobs supported’ versus ‘created/saved’AP fact Checker

Number one, we inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit. … That wasn’t me.” – Congress, under Democratic control in 2007 and 2008, controlled the purse strings that led to the deficit Obama inherited.Obama supported the emergency bailout package in Bush’s final months — a package Democratic leaders wanted to make bigger.AP fact CheckerCollective salvationObama calls himself a ChristianI do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Obama Inauguration. 20 Jan 2009Cut Deficit in Half by end of first termAssociated Press VideoHealth Care deals will be covered on C-spanObama LiesAs President I will recognize the Armenian GenocideABCRecovery Act will save or create jobsABC NewsUnemployment rate will be 8.5% without stimulus.Obama LiesNo Earmarks in the $787 Billion StimulusCNNI happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care planSpecator.OrgWe have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages.Obama LiesI am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage.NPRGuantanamo bay to be closed within a yearCouncil on Foreign Relations.Won’t Raise taxes on those making less than 250,000 per year.Businessweek: Obama Agnostic on taxesList of Tax Promise Violations

I will walk the picket line with you, if workers are denied the right to bargain Youtube

No more wiretapping of citizensYoutubeMr. Ayers as “a guy who lives in my neighborhood,” but “not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.News BustersI had a uncle who was one of the, who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration campsUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumObama campaign would accept public fundingABCMinimum Wage will increase to $9.50/hrA SocialistAnn Dunham spent the months before her death in 1995 fighting with insurance companies that sought to deny her the coverage she needed to pay for treatment.Mounting Heath Care LiesDidn’t know Jeremiah Wright was RadicalDreams of My Father – A radical Socialist.Would have the most transparent administration in HistoryCato InstituteWe will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way.Boston GlobeI have visited all 57 states.SnopesI’ll get rid of earmarksSource: Any bill passed during presidencyWhen a bill lands on my Desk, The American people will have 5 days to review it before I sign it.Campaign SpeechMy father served in World War II.The Videos and the FactsHave troops out of Iraq by March 31, 2009News VideoSeniors Making less than 50,000 will not have to pay taxesYouTubeWould not vote for any bill supporting troop funding without a firm withdrawal commitment from the Bush Administration.
He has done nothing but continue the Bush admins strategy and to explain how the “surges total failure” has now become his greatest achievement.Present Votes Are Common In IllinoisNPRI Won MichiganHuffington PostI won NevadaThe NationI don’t Have LobbyistsUS NewsMy Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 AdCrooks and LiarsI Have Always Been Against IraqWashington PostMy Wife Didn’t Mean What She Said About Pride In CountryCNNBarack was never an ACORN trainer and never worked for ACORN in any other capacity.Obama Campaign VideoI Barely Know RezkoSun TimesMy Church Is Like Any Other Christian ChurchABC News

Have a good 4th, everybody !! And to those reading this in England, Australia, and elsewhere, I hope this helps explain what we're all about - the pursuit of happiness. Mine. My family's. My projects and dreams. I own me, you own you.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

I got into an interesting conversation at the bar with an electrical contractor while I was celebrating my birthday last night. (52nd birthday, BTW.)

We were talking about building inspectors, corrupt building inspectors, and the people that most regulations are written to benefit. (Hint: It ain't you.)

The guy was obviously a skilled electrician. Plenty smart. But then he let loose with this statement: At least all those rules and regulations create jobs and help the economy.

I couldn't help myself. Like I said, I was celebrating my birthday with plenty of Jim Beam and wasn't capable of self-censorship. I remembered the Milton Friedman "spoons" story.

The story goes that Milton Friedman was once taken to see a massive government project somewhere in Asia. Thousands of workers using shovels were building a canal. Friedman was puzzled. Why weren’t there any excavators or any mechanized earth-moving equipment? A government official explained that using shovels created more jobs. Friedman’s response: “Then why not use spoons instead of shovels?”

So I said "If the goal is to create jobs and help the economy, why not use lanterns instead of electricity?" I don't remember his response, if there was one.

Here's something I found on the Forbes website while I was looking for the "spoons" story.

Economies prosper when multitudes of ordinary people are motivated to make improvements. This is because information and insights needed to make an economy prosper are widely dispersed. There’s far more than could ever be centralized, validated and updated in a place like the federal government. The most reliable way to motivate people? Harness their self-interest: let them try making a profit by starting a business based on their information and insights. Government can best promote prosperity by, among other things, maintaining equal rights, low taxes, free trade, sound money, predictable laws and protection against force and fraud. Government should let consumers render their verdicts in open markets – no subsidies, special favors or bailouts.

Creating artificial hurdles, and then paying government bureaucrats to monitor the hurdles, does not help an economy. It's all about production, baby !!

I had to get that out of my system. Have a good day, and be thankful for the electrical contractors who bring power to your laptop/phone/ipad/ipod/Blackberry reading device IN SPITE OF the electrical code, and not because of it.

"I'd rather see my dollars burned then see them go to the government."

Wow.

But think about it. How do you feel about sponsoring the following:

The NSA

The Department of Energy

Lois Lerner

George W. Bush

The war in Afghanistan

Barack Obama

The war in Libya (yeah, there is one)

Aid To Families With Dependent Children (only pays if one parent leaves)

Social Security (totally mismanaged, and as broke as the 10 Commandments)

The war in Iraq

Jimmy Carter

The war in Yemen

Waste and inefficiency

Elaborate parties and conferences for the IRS and GAO

The Federal Reserve banking system

The place on Blue Mound Road in Fort Worth where the Fed prints is increasingly worthless paper money

Wiretaps

The 2nd highest corporate tax rate in the world, exceptions to which are sold like Big Macs

The Drug War

Providing 46% of the world's military spending, therefore encouraging terrorism

John Kerry

Hillary Clinton

Condi Rice

Support of Teachers' Unions

The Texas Department of Transportation

FEMA

Insane tariff and quota regulations which do nothing but add overhead

I'm typing as quickly as I can, and have to start work soon. I bet I could go all day. I repeat.... Here is the quote of the decade, from Wes Benedict of the Libertarian Party. If you disagree, I've got some farmland in the Everglades I'd like to sell you.....

"I'd rather see my dollars burned then see them go to the government."